What was it John Lennon said? “Life is what happens when you’re busy making other plans.” Or some such thing. The plan was to stay in Florida another week but my traveling companion got called back home so within two hours, we were packed up and on the road. You have to fly by the seat of your pants when you are with me!

Saying goodbye to the beach, for now…and hello to new adventures! And what is better than another foray into the wonderful world of Georgia Barbecue? This time, it was The Copper Pig in Brunswick, GA. After feeding the alligators in the pond out front, you walk through the indoor Farmer’s Market to the restaurant. The decor sports such notable signs as “Turkey Eggs…when available” and “Whole Goat Sold Here”. Gulp. Remember the other day after the ray incident when I said I might turn vegetarian? Well, this was…after all…barbecue. In Georgia. I ordered my favorite non-vegetarian meal of ribs with a side of collard greens and cole slaw. And threw in corn bread for good measure. Top that off with a tall glass of sweet tea and I was in…forgive the term…hog heaven! Southern slaw is a vinegary affair, unlike the creamy variety I am accustomed to. It’s not entirely to my liking, I’m afraid. And the collards…I asked for vinegar to put on them. I was presented with a small jar of pale green peppers in vinegar. The top of the jar had a small hole so I gamely sprinkled on what I thought would be a liberal amount of vinegar and promptly set off the fire alarms in my mouth! Wowza! I’m not sure the collards actually had a flavor…maybe bacon? But again, once doused in liquid lava, I was hard pressed to taste anything anyway. The cornbread was dry. Sigh. I looked at my ribs and sent up a little prayer that they would redeem this episode of “Heartburn Haven”. I was not disappointed. The ribs were utterly swoon-worthy! Fork tender, fall off the bone, juicy, smoky morsels fit for the gods. I really wasn’t terribly hungry at that point so I picked all the meat off the bones and proceeded to taste the three BBQ sauces on the table. “Carolina Sauce”, like the slaw, is vinegar based but has a heavy mustard flavor. Not my thing. I moved on to “Sweet”. Liquid brown sugar, to be precise. Still…pretty darned yummy. Last was “Sweetheat”. Ok, now we’re talking. Sweet, smoky, tangy, with just the right heat to make you barely break out in a sweat on your upper lip. The kind that would make you wince if you had a little cut on your lip but not cry like a little girl. Perfect! I asked for a plastic container with a lid…food service variety. Not that styrofoam to-go box. This had to withstand ice in the cooler. I took both the “Sweet” and “Sweetheat” sauces and applied them liberally over the rib meat I had dissected on my plate, mixed it up, and applied more of each…like hot fudge on a pork sundae. I popped the container into the ice chest in the back of the truck and headed north.

I don’t know if you’ve ever driven through Georgia and the Carolinas, but there are LONG stretches of…trees. Both sides…nothing but trees. And dead armadillos. Lots of time to think when you’re driving through there. I was moseying along the interstate when I stopped in Rockhill at a Starbucks, grabbed a plastic fork and a latte, dropped the tailgate of the pickup and pulled the BBQ out of the cooler. My friend and I took turns dipping in and stuffing our faces with big forkfuls of the most divine mess of smoky goodness I think I have ever tasted. Oh, my…I want to go do it again just to say I did!

Back on the road, happy tummy, latte-laden, I was fueled for the last 6 hours of the marathon drive from Florida to West Virginia…something I have never experienced. I’ll let you know tomorrow if I am likely to ever experience it again. My bum was pretty weary by the time I wrote this last night after dark.

Sadly, I had to cancel my appearance at a church in Crescent City scheduled for tomorrow night. We may be able to work out a way where I can appear by Skype. I hated to cancel but there was no alternative. When you travel with another person, you are each at the mercy of the other’s sudden schedule changes. I’m a really flexible person, and thankfully, so are my hosts at the church I was to appear at.

By the time you read this, I am back at the farm. What a difference a day makes, huh? ❤️

“For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭107:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬